


Spark of Chance (a Transformers fanfic)

by FriendlyNeighborhoodMage10396



Series: Transformers [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aliens, Cybertron, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Heroes, I guess Romance, I just don't do romance, Marines, Mild Language, Robots, Transformers - Freeform, Villains, Violence, not gonna be a lot of it though, often, running out of everything, running out of tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriendlyNeighborhoodMage10396/pseuds/FriendlyNeighborhoodMage10396
Summary: "13-year old Loretta Evemor is from a modern universe where living electrical beings don't exist. Having no memory of that life, however, she is Sam Witwicky's 'little sister'. Her life is thrown into chaos when giant robots attack, and the next thing she knows, she's helping her brother save the world.This is her adventure."
Relationships: Carly Spencer/Sam Witwicky, Mikaela Banes/Sam Witwicky
Series: Transformers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700341





	1. Chapter I: Retta

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, first off.... I know that the Transformers series have been overdone, and a lot (a LOT) of people didn't like movies 3, 4, and 5. But, as someone who hasn't seen the first 3 in years, I happen to enjoy the movies. Second of all, since the world is still bloody quarantined, I figured I might as well try something new that isn't exactly anime. And with the first 3 movies now fresh in my mind, I think I'll be able to update this somewhat often. Now....
> 
> Rated-T because there is and will be swearing, blood, and violence. I am going by most of the original storyline...also, nobot dies (except Jazz and the villains)! I'm also including another OC of mine for this story. Also, I say Jazz because I can't find a way to fit him into this fanfic series...yes, I am turning this into a series. But! Ironhide lives! Ironhide is one of best boys! 
> 
> Disclaimer: Everything "Transformers" belongs to their rightful owners! I own only my OCs, and that's it. Thank you for understanding.

It was nearing the end of school hours for Loretta Evemor, a teenage girl of 13-years old. She sat, in her math class, next to the open window...the late-afternoon sun shining onto her sun-kissed skin, and dark-blonde bob-cut highlighted hair that went past her ears. She also had bangs, and her eyes were hazel. 

Her wardrobe was usually ripped skinny-jeans, oversized t-shirts, and sneakers or boots...depending on her mood. She always wore a silver band ring on her right middle finger, and a dark-brown belt with a leather buckle.

She was currently drowning out her teacher's boring lesson, and wishing for some excitement in her life.

Loretta has a secret...one she refused to share with the world because if she did, she would be called crazy and probably psychotic. The only person who knew this secret was her older brother, Sam Witwicky.

The teen girl had been born and raised in a universe extremely similar to the world she lived in, now. In fact, it was so similar that she sometimes thought she was in the same world she was born and raised in. She only knew she was in a different world because she remembered tripping and falling into a hole in the ground when she was only 8. She had been playing in a forest before she fell, having not seen the hole until it was too late. When she had woken up, all she could remember was what happened and her name. Her memories of her real family and her life with them were gone. To her, just trying to remember them was fuzzy...like a very staticy screen.

After waking up in an unfamiliar town, she was found by Sam, who befriended her and took her in on that very day. Sam's parents had...much to the kids' surprise...rolled with now having to raise a young girl as well as their son. Since their home didn't have enough bedrooms, Loretta sleeps in their garage...which wasn't being used for anything but storage, at the time. Loretta didn't mind. As long as she had someplace to live, she was fine with the idea of living in a garage. She was bought an entire new wardrobe, and was allowed to do whatever as long as she kept good grades and followed at least some of the family rules.

Loretta became quite close to Sam, very much like actual brother and sister. They had the typical sibling relationship, but were like best friends, most times. Sam made sure to protect her from anything too dangerous, and sometimes, she returned the favor. Sam had even given her the nickname, 'Retta', as a short version of her name.

When Loretta turned 10-years old, she became very much like a tomboy. She climbed trees, stayed out late at night until Sam or their father came for her, did not mind getting scratched or bruised...or even dirty. And for the next 3 years, she saved up money that would buy her a motorcycle, the one vehicle she really wanted. To this day, she was still saving up. The money came from the summer job that she had, working at a gas station.

Loretta didn't have any friends, other than Sam...and school was less than glamorous. She was always surrounded by kids who verbally picked on her, calling her 'the weird girl', and some of the girls would trip her during class or lunch, bully her in the bathroom, or sometimes, corner her somewhere on the property. 

After a few years of all the bullying, Loretta had had enough...and had thrown a harsh punch at one of the girls who always bullied her. Loretta felt proud of herself for leaving a black eye. Shockingly, the bullies never turned her in to the principle. Part of her always wondered why. 

This year, Loretta had been pretty good about leaving right after the last class of the day. She was tired of all the bullying, and just wanted to go home or someplace where she could be alone. She usually found herself walking along the edge of a cliff or hanging out in an empty construction site. 

Today was no different. Once class finally let out, the teen girl grabbed her things, and left the school. She hopped onto her mother's bike, and took off.

Loretta was looking out at the lake with her hands in her pockets. Every once in a while, she would try and remember her real family...anything about them, along with anything about the life she had as a little girl. Unfortunately, like always, she came up with nothing.

It was now 4:00 p.m. She figured it was time to head home. There was no doubt her parents were starting to wonder where she was, by now. So, after taking one last look out at the lake, she hopped back onto her mother's bike, and headed home.

Along the way, she remembered that Sam was getting his first car, today. She had a feeling their father was going to be cheap, like he usually was. She never understood why he was like that.... She hoped that Sam's car was at least something cool and not very old. As she peddled down the side of the rode, she looked over her shoulder at the sweet sound of a motorcycle. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw: the vehicle somewhat following her was a white old 1950's motorcycle...but, it was driverless! 

Caught by the surprise, Loretta almost crashed into a street-light, but she veered away in time. She then watched as the motorcycle passed her, and moved out of sight.

"What the fuck!" she whispered...then shook her head in denial. "I'm seeing things. I am fucking seeing things. You're going crazy, Retta." She then turned her focus onto getting herself home.

By the time she got home, it was 6:30 in the early-evening. She parked the bike beside the house before trotting through the garage aka her room, and into the house. 

Judith, her mother, was in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes. "Hi, honey!" she said. "I was just wondering where you were."

"Oh, just...taking the bike for a ride." Loretta replied. It wasn't really a lie, but she knew that Judith would flip if she knew where her teenage daughter had really been. 

"Well, I hope it enjoyed it's exercise." Judith said while scrubbing a deep dish. "There's dinner in the refrigerator. I made lasagna." 

"Thanks, Mom, but I'm not really hungry, right now...." Loretta told her. "I'll eat, later." 

"Alright, but don't eat too late." her mother replied. "You know how your father will feel about that." 

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" Loretta said, sarcastically, before going back to hang out in her room. 

The garage looked half like a regular old garage, and half like a bedroom. Loretta had her bed, closet, desk, and electronics in there...along with a rug right next to her bed. The rest of the garage was storage, a workbench, and yard tools. Judith and her husband had made it work for their daughter...and she had no problems with it. Her only complain was how unsafe she felt during storms, which was why she went into the house during those. 

Since she didn't have any homework to do, the girl just plopped down onto her bed with a tired sigh. She couldn't wait for her brother to get home...she wanted somebody to talk to. 

The next day was Saturday, much to Loretta's relief. She didn't have any plans for the day, other than going out on the bike and hanging out somewhere, again. 

After breakfast, she followed Sam outside to see his new car. She raised an eyebrow, and smirked when she saw that the car was an old yellow camaro that had thick black stripes in it. It wasn't too impressive...but she thought it was a nice car, regardless.

"Wooow." she said, sarcastically. "Dad really went cheap, didn't he?"

"You know how he is, Retta." Sam told her. "And besides, this is a nice car! It practically called out to me at the dealership, today!"

"Practically." she said with a chuckle.

Sam gave her a look. "You want a ride or not?" he asked, looking like he wasn't quite in the mood for her sarcasm.

"Depends on where we're goin'." she replied with a shrug.

"Mom wants me to pick up some groceries for tonight's dinner." he told her, and opened the driver's side door. "I'll buy you something! Like...lunch."

She let out a sigh, and thought it over. "....Alright, fine." she said. "I got nothing else to do, anyway." 

"I knew you'd come with." he told her with a smirk, and got into his car while Loretta climbed in on the other side. 

"Shuddup. You promised me food." she replied as she buckled up. She had to admit, the inside of the car felt nice! She took notice of the disco ball hanging around the mirror as Sam backed out of the driveway.

On the way to the store, the two siblings caught up with each other on recent activities. Sam told her about a girl he had hung out with, yesterday, named 'Mikaela'...and Loretta told him about yesterday's boring day at school. And then, she told him about hanging out at the lake, afterwards. 

"You know, if Mom ever found out you were going there, she would freak." he said. "That lake is almost 20 miles away."

Loretta shrugged. "That's why I don't plan on telling her, or about the other places I've been visiting." she replied. She then decided to bring up what she saw, yesterday. "So uh...I saw something weird, yesterday, on the way home. Of course, I could just be totally crazy." 

"What? What did you see, yesterday?" he asked, curiously.

"An old motorcycle." she responded. "It was kinda following me for a minute, but then, it drove off out of sight. Here's the weird part, though: ...it was driverless." 

Sam glanced at her with a surprised and confused frown. "....What?" he asked.

"Told you I was crazy." his sister sighed. "Vehicles can't move with somebody driving them. That's just insane." She sighed and lowered herself, a bit, in the seat.

"....You know, something crazy happened to me, too." Sam told her.

She looked over at him. "Your new girlfriend kissed you?" she teased. 

"Ha ha, very funny." he replied, sarcastically. "No. It's uh.... It's my car, here. At least, the radio. It kept playing romance music when I was taking Mikaela to her house." 

Loretta frowned. "Seriously?" she asked. "Maybe there's some things that need to be worked on...."

"Oh, it wasn't just the radio." he told her. "There was a couple of times when this car acted like...like it had a mind of it's own and decided to drive itself!"

Loretta's frown deepened as she went into thought. "....That's crazy." she said with a scoff. "Vehicles can't do that!"

"I'm dead serious, Retta." he told her. "But...I dunno, maybe you're right. Maybe this thing does need to be worked on. It is old."

_Still...._ she thought. _Cars don't move on their own. No vehicle of any kind does!_ She thought about the motorcycle she saw, yesterday. _Something's up...I just have a feeling._

Later, that night, Loretta woke up to the sound of her brother yelling. Groggily, she checked the clock on her phone. It was midnight! With a tired groan, she sat up and stretched. "What's the big idea?" she grumbled as she got up from her bed and threw on the same pair of jeans, t-shirt, and shoes that she wore, that Saturday. She also threw on a hoodie, since it was chilly in the garage. 

She went through the door on the side of the garage, and stepped out, wondering why her brother was still screaming like a lunatic. She saw that he was riding the bike that she shared with her mother...and chasing his car?!

"Sam!" she called out to him, but he was already too far away to hear her. So, she grabbed her father's bike, hoping that he wouldn't mind her borrowing it. Then, she sped after her brother. "Sam!!!" 


	2. Chapter II: Car Chase

Loretta peddled as fast as she could to catch up with her brother, but it was like the faster she went, the further he peddled to catch up to his car! She wondered why anybody would want to steal his car...it was old, and she thought that Sam had the keys, so how could anybody steal it? 

"Boy, where are you going?" she asked nobody in particular as her brother disappeared from view in seconds. She had a feeling she knew where he was going, though. The old cement factory. She had gone there, a few times, over the year. It had been a while since her last visit, though...and her sense of direction wasn't exactly the greatest. 

She continued speed-peddling through town, trying to remember how to get to the factory while also keeping an eye out for her brother. "Sam?!" she called, loudly. But there was no answer, and the teenage boy did not come into view. "Dammit! Where did you go?"

Just then, she heard a motorcycle behind her. She looked over her shoulder in curiosity...the motorcycle from yesterday was back! And this time, there was a person driving it! The person was dressed in black, complete with a matching helmet. He didn't look like a cop. However...the person was probably dangerous. So, just to be on the safe side, Loretta peddled as fast as she could, away from him. But, he followed her!

"What?" she asked in disbelief when the person sped up. "Oh, c'mon, move on! Quit following me!" She turned her focus ahead of her, and peddled in a different direction, hoping to lose the person.

After a while, she looked back, and smirked when she saw that she was no longer being followed. "Good, I hope you get lost." she said. But the second the words left her mouth, her bike jolted forward, flipping her off of it, and causing her to roll down a cement hill! Grunting in pain, she felt herself receiving scrapes and bruises, until she finally slid to a stop. She groaned, dazed. "Ok.... That hurt...." 

She sat up, and shook her head, clearing it of dizziness. "What the hell just happened?" she muttered, and looked up the hill. The bike lay where it had crashed against a curb, the front wheel still spinning. She looked down at herself...her clothes were dirtied, now, her left knee had a scrape on it, as so did her right leg and the bottom of her palms. "Well, shit." 

Suddenly, she heard a motorcycle from on top of the hill! She quickly looked up, and saw that it was the same one that had been following her since she left the house. The driver was gone, and the old motorcycle began to cautiously make it's way down the hill.

Now, Loretta was afraid. "Oh no...." she said, and immediately scrambled back before getting to her feet. The scrape on her leg flared up, but she tried her best to ignore it. "Nonono!" She turned around and ran away as fast as she could. She cringed when she heard the motorcycle pick up speed and follow her! "Why? Why are you following me?!" She ran until she heard the motorcycle's engine fade. Was it slowing down? Stopping? She didn't plan on stopping her own movements...she needed to find Sam!

Forgetting about the motorcycle for a minute, she looked around for her brother. After a short while, she stopped running to catch her breath. She wasn't entirely lost...but she hadn't been able to even spot Sam, anywhere, at the factory. Since the motorcycle was also nowhere in sight, she decided to go back and get her father's bike, and head home. She was just gonna have to talk to her brother, later. 

The wound on her leg felt numb as she backtracked at a walk. She winced as she took a look at her scraped palms. They were bleeding, still, but not as much as before. The same went for the scrape on her knee. She was gonna have to bandage herself up once she got home.

If her parents saw her injuries, they would bomb her annoying questions.

Loretta was half-asleep in the kitchen while waiting for Sam to eat brunch. They both had woken up, that afternoon...and Loretta had taken a quick shower, put on fresh bandages, and fresh clothes. Her hair was messy, but she couldn't care less. 

The teen girl was now sporting a pair of black leggings, a pair of white ankle socks with pale-pink doc martins, a white-and-grey striped t-shirt, and a grey zip-up hoodie.

Apparently, last night, Sam had gotten arrested, and that was why she couldn't find him at that factory. Their father had to bail him out. "So, how grounded are you?" she asked her brother, groggily.

"I'm not...but, I almost was." he told her. "I'm telling you, Retta, my car was stolen, last night! That's why I went after it. And then, it transformed! I couldn't believe it, myself, but there it was! A giant robot in front of me. He was sending off some sort of signal up into the sky."

"So you've said." she replied, tiredly. "Don't worry, I believe you. So...now, what are you going to do? Your car hasn't been stolen, after all, and is actually a giant robot."

"I.... I don't know." he said, unhappily. "I never thought things like that could ever exist. What can I do? Nobody but you will believe me...."

"Yeah...nobody will believe that I was chased by a riderless motorcycle." she sighed with a cringe. "I'm already a laughing stock at school." 

"....I guess we just wait to see if my car comes back." Sam said, and opened up the fridge to get out some milk for his breakfast. "Like that'll happen."

At that moment, Mojo...the family chihuahua...trotted in, and hopped his way on top of a counter.

"Don't be so negative." Loretta told her sibling. "At least you didn't get chased around by it."

"Don't jinx anything!" he whined. 

Just then, Mojo started barking like crazy. Loretta was not in the mood for that kind of noise, right now. "Shuddup, Mojo....!" she grumbled while rubbing her tired eyes.

"It's too early for that...." Sam muttered in agreement.

Loretta groaned. "I'm going into my room to get something sugary." she said. "I need something to wake me up."

"Alright." Sam replied.

Loretta jogged down into the garage, and started rummaging through her stash in her desk. Suddenly, she heard her brother yelling! Surprised, she straightened up and looked back into the house. "Sam?" she called out, but there was no answer. She looked out the kitchen window.... There her brother goes, on their mom's bike...and being chased by his car?! She looked closer, and saw that there was no driver.

She winced. "Wow, I really gotta learn to keep my mouth shut." she said, before turning around to head outside. "Stay here, Mojo!" The little dog whined in response as she shut the front door.

Outside, she grabbed and hopped onto her father's bike, and sped after the car that was chasing her brother. "Sam!!!" she called out at the top of her lungs, peddling as fast as she could. She grew worried when she saw the car's side-view mirror tilt until she could see her reflection in it.

"What is going on?!" she asked, loudly, to nobody in particular. 

The sound of a motorcycle reached her ears, just then, and she pulled a face before looking over her shoulder to see the old motorcycle. "Why?!" she whined, and peddled faster. Worried for her brother, and regretting choosing to leave him, she had to try and get rid of her own chase problem. So, with a prayer for her brother's safety, she veered off in a different direction. As expected, the motorcycle followed her. She noticed that the rider was back, again. Something told her that the rider wasn't real...but obviously, the living vehicle certainly was!

She rode her father's bike all over town, trying to lose the motorcycle. "What did I do to deserve this!" she exclaimed, fearfully. So far, she hadn't been able to lose the motorcycle, at all. "C'mon, c'mon! Leave me alone!" She couldn't help keep looking back to see how close or far the vehicle was. 

"Chased by a motorcycle...." she muttered, and shook her head before focusing back on the road. "Who would've thought."

After a few minutes, she finally turned and rode her bike into what seemed like an abandoned car lot building. There, she sighed with relief when she spotted Sam. But, there was also the car that had been chasing him. Quickly, she hid behind a random car, hoping to stay out of sight from the motorcycle, as well. Through the windows, she watched Sam's yellow car and the motorcycle search around. 

At that moment, a cop car pulled in, beeping it's sound as it came into view. Sam's car and the motorcycle snuck out of the place, then. Loretta watched as her brother went over to the cops, and winced when the door of the car swung open and made him crash into it. Sam then started trying to explain what was happening. The teen girl's eyes widened when the car suddenly jerks forward, knocking Sam onto the ground. The car continued to inch forward, causing her brother to scoot back in fear. Her mouth fell open when one of the car's headlight's extend forward like a snake, parts splitting away from the bulb and forming sharp shapes, aimed right at Sam! 

Loretta could not believe this. What was up with the cop car, and why wasn't the cop, inside, moving?!

She watched with wide eyes as the car suddenly transformed into a 16-ft. giant! _What the fucking fuck?!_ she mentally yelled. 

Sam, meanwhile, was swearing his mouth off as he scrambled up to run away. The giant robot gave chase, and he did not look happy!

Loretta dropped her father's bike and ran over to aid her brother, feeling just as terrified as he was. However, before she could reach him, she was suddenly harshly smacked away by the 16-ft. robot! She let out a terrified cry, and landed onto the hood of a car before rolling onto the cement ground. "Ok...that hurt...." she muttered in pain. She could already feel her side bruising.

She raised her head, and saw that Sam had been smacked off his feet, as well. He had landed onto the hood of a different car, the glass having spiderwebbed by the impact. Meanwhile, the robot glared down and trapped him!

"Are you ladiesman217?" he asked in a booming tone. His voice sounded bizarre to the two teenagers.

"What?" Sam asked in terror.

"ARE YOU LADIESMAN217?!" the robot repeated, sounding impatient. He barely gave Sam a chance to reply. "Where is eBay item number 21153? _Where are the glasses?!_ " 

_What the hell is he talking about?_ Loretta thought. _Oh...he must be talking about Archibald Witwicky's glasses.... Sam has those, somewhere, doesn't he?_ She shook her head. Now was not the time to be questioning what her brother's been up to. They had to get out of there!

She scrambled to her feet, and dashed over to Sam, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away from the angry giant, who growled and tossed away the car Sam had been on. 

"You pest is a nuisance!" he growled, and before Loretta knew it, she was smacked away, again! 

"Retta!!!" Sam shouted with great worry.

Loretta cleared her head of dizziness after landing onto another vehicle. She watched as her brother continued running away. She didn't blame him, one bit. There was a psychotic robot chasing him, after all!

She cried out in pain as she slid off of the car. Everything was going to hurt, later....

Just then, the old motorcycle sped into view, it's tires screeching against the ground! 

Loretta grew worried...she was exhausted, now, and bruised. "You gotta be kidding me." she said with a sigh. She watched as the motorcycle came to a stop. She noticed that the rider was, once again, not there.

"Get on!" a pleasant-sounding female voice exclaimed.

Confused, the teen girl looked around for the source of the voice. "Who, what, where?!"

"There's no time to explain! Now, get on!" the voice told her. "Your brother is in danger!"

Deciding to shove all questions aside, Loretta got up and hopped onto the seat of the motorcycle. She wasn't even sure if she should trust it, but she didn't want to anger the voice. She almost immediately took notice of a strange looking robotic face insignia on top of where the engine and fuel tank would be. 

"Hang on, tight!" the female voice told her, and Loretta immediately grabbed onto the handles. The motorcycle revved up, and took a speeding start forward. The girl held on for dear life as the 2-wheeled vehicle drove out of the building, speeding up to follow the crazy robot, who had transformed back into a cop car. Loretta took a wild guess that the voice belonged to the motorcycle. The wind whipped through her hair and ruined clothes. She noticed that it had gotten to evening...she and Sam had been out for longer than she had thought!

With her brother and his safety kept in mind, she realized that she had never actually ridden a motorcycle, before. Needless to say, she was rather glad she had been saving her money to buy her own! As wild as it was while chasing the cop car, the ride felt nice and smooth. She was gonna have to enjoy it, some other time, though. If there will be another time....

As the chase continued, the sky turned into a sunset. At one point, Loretta had noticed that the cop car had been chasing Sam's camaro. So where was her brother?!

"Don't worry. Your brother is safe with my comrade." the motorcycle told her, seeming to sense her concern. "Just focus on staying on me, ok?"

"Who are you people?!" Loretta exclaimed, that question being one of her biggest ones in mind.

The motorcycle shocked her by letting out a chuckle. "I promise, everything will be explained, later." it replied. "Right now, your brother's safety is our first priority!" 

"Uhm...right." the girl said, not knowing what else to say at that point. Everytime the motorcycle made a sharp turn, Loretta had to really grip onto the handles to keep from falling off. _This has to be the most exciting and terrifying thing that's ever happened to Sam and I....!_ she thought. 

The chase went on all over town, until Loretta and the motorcycle followed the cop car into the cement factory property. The motorcycle then veered off to the right, confusing the girl. 

"W-Wait, what are we doing?" she asked. "Why aren't we following them?"

"If I go up against Barricade, it's over." the motorcycle replied. "No, this is my comrade's fight. We'll stay out of this one."

"What about my brother?" Loretta asked, worriedly. 

"My comrade will protect him. It's his job." the vehicle said. "Mine is to protect you." The motorcycle then chose a spot to hide in, and stopped, keeping her engine quiet. 

"Why?" Loretta asked in confusion. "Why do you need to protect me?" 

"There are many Decepticons on this world...." the motorcycle replied. "Many of them are very unkind, and will not hesitate to harm you. As I understand it, you are Sam Witwicky's sister. Since my comrade is to protect him, it's only fitting for someone to protect you. I volunteered to take this job."

"I don't understand...." Loretta said, thinking. She was starting to get a headache.

"I know it's very confusing, and I'm sure you have many questions." the motorcycle told her, sympathetically. "My leader can explain things better. Unfortunately, he's not here, yet. For now, my comrade and I will stay by yours and your brother's side."

Loretta sighed, and nodded. 

"You're injured...." the motorcycle noted, a hint of worry in her voice. "Barricade has harmed you, I assume?"

The girl guessed that the crazy robot who attacked her and Sam was named Barricade. "Uh...he did smack me around, a couple of times...." she replied. "D-Don't worry! Nothing's broken! Just bruised...."

"Hmm...." the motorcycle hummed, unhappily. 

Suddenly, Sam's camaro sped into view, his tires skidding along the ground as it made a 180-degree turn! Then, it tossed out Sam, and a teenage girl Loretta didn't recognize. In seconds, the camaro transformed into a 16-ft. robot! This robot got into a fighting stance, a determined look on his robotic face. Behind him was Sam and his friend. At that moment, the cop car...Barricade...arrived, and he transformed into his psychotic robot self! He tackled the other robot, and the two launched into a violent fight! A much smaller robot, Loretta noticed, began chasing after Sam and his friend!

Loretta moved to dismount from the motorcycle, but the vehicle's voice stopped her. "No! Stay here! Please!" she told her. "I promise your brother will be just fine. Frenzy isn't as tough as he looks, trust me." 

_Frenzy...and Barricade, both bad guys._ Loretta thought. _Ok, then!_ Although worried about her brother, she stayed hidden with the motorcycle.


	3. Chapter III: The Arrival of the Autobots

The ground shook as the two robots fought. The yellow one grabbed hold of Barricade, and threw him onto the ground! Barricade spoke in a language Loretta didn't recognize, but she chose not to ask about it. She had a feeling these robots were alien in some way. She just chose to ignore that feeling since the motorcycle picked her up.

"What's your name?" she asked the 2-wheeled vehicle without thinking. 

"My name?" the motorcycle replied in surprise, keeping her voice low as to not attract Barricade's attention. "....My name is Thunderblaze. I am...rather surprised you had asked for it. I wasn't expecting it...."

"Well...if we're gonna be around each other until this is over, I have to know your name." Loretta tried to explain. "I mean...you know mine. Somehow...." 

"That is true." the motorcycle, Thunderblaze, replied with realization. Then, she paused. "Listen...." The two stopped talking and listened, closely. "....The battle has quieted down." 

Both of them peered around their hiding spot. Barricade was nowhere to be seen. The other robot, however, was walking over to a grassy hill, huffing in triumph. 

"I do believe it's safe to come out, now." Thunderblaze said. "I sense that Barricade is down, for the time being." She then drove out from the hiding spot with Loretta hanging on to the handles. Thunderblaze drove up to the yellow robot, and stopped right beside him. Loretta couldn't believe how huge he was! 

The girl looked down the hill and gave her brother a relieved smile. Sam, relieved to see that his sister was safe, smiled back. Then, he looked up at the robot. "Can you talk?" he asked it.

"XM satellite radio, a hundred and thirty digital channels of nonstop radio-" the robot replied through the radio in him, the DJ voice coming out as mixed and saying things to answer Sam's question.

"You...You talk through the radio?" Sam asked to confirm. The robot clapped at the same time the radio gave out the sound of a crowd cheering.

Loretta couldn't help but smile, again. "This is unreal." she said to herself. 

"S-So, what was that, last night? With the light?" Sam asked the 16-ft. robot. 

"And a mighty voice will send a message-" the robot replied through his radio. "Summoning fourth visitors from heaven!"

Sam's friend walked up, then. "What are you, like an alien or something?" she asked it. The robot replied with a confirming nod before transforming back into the old Camaro, and the doors swung open.

"Anymore questions you wanna ask?" the radio asked them. 

"Wait...what's happening, now?" Loretta asked Thunderblaze in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"Wherever my comrade takes us." the motorcycle replied with a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, you're all safe, now." 

Sam gave Loretta one look of relief before climbing into the car with his friend. Then, the Camaro drove off, heading out of the factory property. Thunderblaze quickly followed, with Loretta hanging on for dear life, again.

On the road, Loretta had to ask, "So, what did your friend mean, back there? Visitors from heaven? A message?"

"All will be made clear soon enough." Thunderblaze replied. "Be patient."

"Where are we going, then?" the girl asked as they followed the Camaro through a tunnel. She wasn't a fan of being left in the dark.

The motorcycle chuckled. "You sure curious for a human." she said. Loretta just shrugged, not bothered by the comment.

Suddenly, the Camaro in front of them skidded to a stop, causing Thunderblaze to do the same and pull over to the side of the road! Confused, Loretta watched as Sam and his friend got out. The Camaro then drove off, almost with an attitude.

"Oh, dear...." Thunderblaze muttered. 

"Great, now you hurt his feelings." Sam told his friend in annoyance. "4,000 dollars just drove off! That car is sensitive." Loretta guessed that his friend had insulted the Camaro, somehow.

"Well...." Thunderblaze sighed. "If my comrade is upgrading, then I suppose I shall, as well." She patiently waited as Loretta dismounted from her before driving off to follow her friend down the road. 

"But there's nothing wrong with what you are, now!" the girl called after the vehicle, but it was too late. 

Sam walked up to her. "You didn't insult that motorcycle, did you?" he asked.

"What? No!" his sister replied. Then, she rubbed the exhaustion out of her face. "This has been one crazy day...."

"Tell me about it." Sam agreed. "We've been chased by vehicles, saved by said vehicles, and nearly died from an evil robot. The world is so going to believe all of this...." He then asked her, "So, is that motorcycle yours, now, or what?"

Loretta shrugged. "I honestly have no idea." she replied. "She says she's here to protect me, but she's yet to explain much else."

"You know, Mom and Dad will freak out if they see you riding a motorcycle." he told her. "Especially since you don't have a license."

"And won't be able to get one until I'm 16." she sighed in annoyance. "If these robots stay here for long, am I seriously gonna have to keep Thunderblaze a secret?"

The wince on Sam's face answered her question. She let out an annoyed growl.

At that moment, two flashy-looking vehicles drove up, and the siblings couldn't believe their eyes! "What?!" Sam said in disbelief. His car was now a brand-new Chevy Camaro! Loretta liked the old car, but she had to admit, this one was definitely nice-looking! Meanwhile, Thunderblaze had pulled up. She was now a Kawasaki Ninja model! Those were supposed to be one of the fastest motorcycles in the world!

"Oh...Mom and Dad are definitely going to kill me." Loretta said as she stared at her new ride in shock. 

"Especially since you don't have a helmet...." Sam added in agreement. Loretta shared an excited smile with her brother, and then, they dashed over to their new rides. 

"You did not have to upgrade to this beast, Thunderblaze." the girl told the motorcycle. 

"No, but, I did not want to feel left out." the vehicle half-joked. She then revved her engine up, and began following the Chevy Camaro.

Loretta took this time to actually enjoy the ride, now that she was no longer being chased or chasing an evil car. The wind felt chilly but great as it whipped through her hair and clothes. She grinned. "I picked the right type of future vehicle!" she cheered. She was loving the sound of the engine, too.

"You liked the old model, huh?" Thunderblaze asked, sarcastically. 

"I do!" the girl protested. It was no lie. She liked both motorcycles.

"Uh-huh." the vehicle teased.

"Aw, c'mon, give me a break!" Loretta pleaded, causing the motorcycle to laugh.

It was 8:00 at night when the Chevy Camaro and the Kawasaki Ninja pulled up on the hillside that looked over the town. Loretta felt like a total rebel. What teenager wouldn't want to be out, late at night, with a cool motorcycle? 

"Why are we here?" she asked, curiously.

"Look up." Thunderblaze replied. So, Loretta looked up...and slowly dismounted from the vehicle, her eyes locked onto something in the sky. In the background, she heard the doors of the car open as Sam and his friend...who Loretta guessed as Mikaela...got out of the Chevy Camaro.

In the night sky, four unearthly lights appear, and soar over the teenagers and vehicles.

"Come now, we must meet them." Thunderblaze told Loretta, and the girl hopped back on. The motorcycle backed up, and drove off in the direction that lead back to the city.

"Retta!!!" Sam called after her.

She looked over her shoulder. "I'll be fine, Sam!" she called back over the sound of the motorcycle. She refocused back to what was in front of her, gripping the handles as Thunderblaze sped up.

_More robots like these guys?_ the girl wondered. _Unbelievable.... Well, I hope these ones are the good guys. Oh...of course, they have to be. Thunderblaze just said for us to meet them! I'm an idiot...._

Loretta's eyes widened when saw the speed meter pick up, and she gripped the handles even harder on reflex. 210...250...300 mp! Any faster, and Loretta was afraid she'd fall off. However, she trusted Thunderblaze not to allow that to happen.

The Kawasaki Ninja really was a speed demon!

In an abandoned part of the city, followed by the Chevy Camaro, Thunderblaze turned into a large alleyway, and slowed to a stop. The Chevy Camaro pulled up right beside her.

Loretta dismounted from the motorcycle, and looked around while her brother and Mikaela got out of the car. In this part of the city, everything was quiet...except for the sounds of the vehicles' engines. 

"You look like a mess." Sam commented on his sister.

Loretta looked down at herself. She was filthy almost from head-to-toe, parts of the bandages on her hands had been ruined, and her clothes were torn. Even her hair was a mess. "Welp! That's what happens when an angry and crazy 16-ft. robot throws you around like a ragdoll." she said. 

"Mom's not gonna like this...." Sam sighed.

His sister gave him a look with a raised eyebrow, and glanced him up-and-down. "Like you look any better." she quipped, and he had to agree. 

Just then, several vehicles rolled up from behind them: a Pontiac Solstice, a GMC pickup truck, and a rescue Hummer! The Hummer let out a few beeps before stopping with the other vehicles. Thunderblaze and the Chevy Camaro backed up as the teenagers turned around at the sound of a larger vehicle. Pulling up in front of them was a trailerless Peterbilt truck! Now, Loretta has seen many semi-trucks in her life...but being this close to one that was right in front of her felt amazing and terrifying! Not to mention, she felt like a shrimp compared to it.... The teenagers noticed that none of the vehicles had drivers in them. Which could only mean that these ones were just like the Chevy Camaro and Thunderblaze!

The semi pulled up quite close to the teenagers, before taking itself apart and transforming into a 28-ft. giant! A second later, all of the other vehicles began transforming, as well! Each one of them looked very different from the other. Loretta watched as Thunderblaze transformed into her robot self. It was the first time the motorcycle had done this in front of her. Compared to the others, who were bulky-looking and tall, Thunderblaze...due to the type of vehicle she was...was less bulky, and stood at 12-ft., making her the smallest out of all of them.

Loretta liked that Thunderblaze had scales on parts of body, making the girl think of a dragon.

The ground shaking brought Loretta's attention back to the biggest of the robots. He had gotten down on one knee and was looking right at her brother. "Are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendant of Archibald Amundsen Witwicky?" he asked, his voice deep and booming.

_How do these robots know our names?_ Loretta wondered as she stared up in wonderment at the bigger-than-life being.

"....Yeah?" Sam replied, looking just as baffled as his sister.

"My name is Optimus Prime." the giant robot told him. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet, Cybertron."

"But you can call us 'Autobots' for short." the Hummer robot told the teenagers.

"Autobots...." Sam muttered, mulling over the term.

Loretta remembered what Thunderblaze called Barricade. _Autobots...Decepticons...._ she thought. _Hmm! I think it should be pretty easy to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, here!_

"What's up, little bitches?" the Pontiac Solstice robot asked, and pulled some hipster moves that almost made Loretta laugh.

"My first Lieutenant." Optimus introduced. "Designation: Jazz."

The robot glanced around. "This looks like a cool place to kick it!" he said, and lounged on top of an abandoned car, breaking the top of it. 

"H-How did you learn to talk like that?" Sam asked as Optimus stood up to his full 28-ft height.

"We learned earth's languages through the World Wide Web." the unbelievably-tall robot replied. Then, he gestured to another one of his comrades. "Our weapons specialist, Ironhide." 

"You feeling lucky, punks?" the robot asked with a smirk as he aimed large weapons at the teenagers.

"Easy, Ironhide....!" Optimus warned.

Ironhide relaxed and smiled. "I'm just kidding!" he said. "I just wanted to show them my cannons." Loretta couldn't help but smile, a bit.

"Our medical officer, Ratchet." Optimus said, motioning to the Hummer robot. 

"Hmm, the boy's pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female." the medical robot mused. 

Loretta may be only 13, but she was not stupid. She knew that he was talking about Sam and Mikaela, and she covered her mouth in order to prevent herself from laughing. But, she ended up letting out snicker, causing her embarrassed brother to glare at her.

"You already know your guardian, Bumblebee." Optimus told Sam, motioning to a dancing yellow robot, whose radio was playing DJ music.

"Bumblebee...." Sam said, looking up at his car. "You're my guardian?" Bumblebee nodded.

"His vocal processors were damaged in battle." Ratchet told the teenagers as he beamed a thin red line at Bumblebee's throat, causing him to cough. "We're still working on them."

"I can introduce myself just fine, Optimus." Thunderblaze told the 28-ft. tall robot, and looked down at Sam and Mikaela. "Loretta is already aware of who I am, but...I am Thunderblaze." She took a bow. "I am Loretta's guardian."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked down at his sister. All she did was give him an innocent smile.

Ratchet seemed to study the young teenager. "....Thunderblaze, why does she appear to be more damaged than Sam and the other female?" he asked, suspiciously.

_Oh...right...about that...._ Loretta thought with a small cringe. 

"U-Uhm...it wasn't my fault, exactly!" Thunderblaze replied, nervously. "There was Barricade, and before that...."

Loretta looked up at the medical officer. "I crashed my dad's bike, yesterday." she explained. "I wasn't watching where I was going. It really wasn't her fault."

"Hmm...." Ratchet hummed, thoughtfully.

Mikaela looked up at Optimus. "Why are you here?" she asked him.

"We are here looking for the Allspark." he replied, turning very serious. "And we must find it before Megatron."

"Mega-what?" Sam asked. 

Optimus projects a 3-D flashback of his world. Odd-looking towers arose and the ground split in between the three teenagers. What looked like a city of some sort appeared...along with fallen robots and destruction for miles.

"Our planet was once a powerful empire...." Optimus explained. "Peaceful, and just. Until, we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. All who defied them were destroyed, and an all-out war consumed the planet. But the Allspark was lost to the stars. Megatron followed it to earth, where Captain Witwicky found him."

"M-My grandfather." Sam said.

"It was an accident...." Optimus continued. "That intertwined our fates. Megatron crash-landed, before he could retrieve the Cube. He accidentally activated his navigation system. The coordinates to the Cube's location on earth were imprinted on his glasses."

"How'd you know about his glasses?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Ebay." Optimus replied.

Loretta looked at the ground, and smiled. It was funny to hear an alien robot mention something so modern and not from his world.

"If the Decepticons find the Allspark, they will use it to transform earth's machines...and build a new army." Ratchet informed the teenagers.

"And the human race will be extinguished." Optimus added, grimly. "Sam Witwicky.... You hold the key to earth's survival." 

Loretta looked up at her brother. She knew that he had his grandfather's glasses...he had been trying to sell them for days. She hoped they were still somewhere in the house.

As if reading her mind, Mikaela looked at Sam, and said to him, "Please tell me you still have those glasses."

Loretta looked up at Thunderblaze. "I think...I understand, now." she said, and Thunderblaze nodded.

"I'm curious about something." Jazz said, sounding like he was trying to move on to a lighter subject. "I understand the female Thunderblaze is guarding is the boy's sister. What I don't understand is why her last name is different from his."

"Oh, boy." Loretta muttered, sharing a knowing look with Sam.

"She's...actually my adopted sister." he told them all. "And her name is Loretta."

"He calls me 'Retta', for short." the girl added, jabbing a thumb in his direction.

"Ah, now, I see." Jazz said.

"So, what now?" Mikaela asked.

"We go back to my place." Sam said. "Those glasses have to be there...somewhere."

Loretta gave him a look, and rolled her eyes. _He's been trying and failing to sell those glasses, and now, he doesn't know where they are?_ she thought. _If he can't find them, I'm gonna beat his ass._

"Autobots, roll-out!" Optimus ordered, and transformed into the semi. The other Autobots followed suit...Sam and Mikaela hopped into Bumblebee, while Loretta mounted Thunderblaze and held on to the handles. 

Bumblebee lead the way, with Thunderblaze and the other following close behind. 


	4. Chapter IV: Hide-and-Seek

On the way over to the house, Loretta winced as she realized her parents would flip if they caught her riding a motorcycle. A 13-year old riding a dangerous vehicle? Yeah, that'll spark some excitement....

"Thunderblaze, there's an alleyway right behind our house." she told the Autobot over the whipping wind. "If my parents see me on your back, they are going to freak out, and not in a good way."

"Huh?" Thunderblaze said in surprise. "You want me to wait in one of earth's grimy alleyways?"

"Just for a few minutes!" Loretta told her. "I'm still underage to be riding a motorcycle...let alone, driving one. I'm only 13!"

"Oh.... Yes, I can see why your parents would be unhappy." the Autobot replied. "Alright, fine, I'll stay out of sight."

"Thank you...." Loretta sighed with relief. 

Once the teenagers and Autobots arrived in the neighborhood, Thunderblaze immediately went around and parked in the alleyway behind the house, like Loretta had requested. The girl dismounted, quickly. 

"I'll be back in five minutes. Ok?" she told the vehicle.

"Please, hurry!" Thunderblaze said. "Optimus is not one to be patient for very long...."

_Good to know...._ Loretta thought. She then turned, and climbed the fence that lead into the yard. There, she met up with Sam.

"Please, tell me you know where those glasses are." she told him with a sigh. 

"I do, but listen...." Sam replied, looking frantic. "Mom and Dad are already gonna be upset that we came home late. I need you to pack a few things from your room. There's a large possibility we'll be leaving with these guys."

"Wait, we're going with them?" she asked in surprise. "I thought they only needed the glasses!"

"Will you just trust me? Ok?" Sam told her, looking like he was about to have a panic attack. "And keep the noise down!"

"Ok, ok!" she told him in a whisper. "First of all, chillax. Second of all, if you're sure about this, I'll do it. Go and meet Dad. He'll end up doing your chores, otherwise." 

Sam nodded, and the two siblings headed toward the house. Loretta quickly snuck to the side of the house, and slipped into her room through the narrow garage door. Being as quick as possible, she grabbed her overnight bag, and stuffed it with extra clothes and her stash of snacks and sweets. She then looked at her phone...it was at 50% battery. She sighed, thinking deep. 

"Whatever...if it dies, it dies." she whispered to herself with a huff. She had a feeling she wouldn't be using her phone, much...but, she did want to keep it on her, just in case. The last thing she grabbed was a bunch of fresh bandages. You never know when you could need them, after all. After zipping up her overnight bag, she slipped her Doc Martens off, and switched into a pair of proper exercise sneakers. She had an odd feeling that she would be running, at some point, during this adventure.

After grabbing her bag, she made a silent apology to her parents for leaving them, and closed the door behind her.

She came back to the backyard to see that all of the Autobots had transformed and gotten in! She dropped her bag in shock. "Why?!" she exclaimed in a whisper when she saw that her father's bird-bath had been crushed almost to dust! 

Sam and Mikaela rushed up to her. Loretta quickly motioned to all the Autobots while giving her brother a look. "'Xplain!" she told him.

"I think they're in a bigger hurry than we thought." he replied, breathlessly. He was sweating bullets...he really needed to calm down before he started hyperventilating. "I need you to stay out here with them."

"Me?!" she yelled in a whisper. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Keep an eye on them?" he whispered back. "Look, I gotta go find those glasses. They have to be in my room, somewhere-"

Mojo's yipping interrupted him, causing the three teenagers to look over at him. Loretta's mouth fell open as she facepalmed, big time, when the chihuahua lifted his leg and peed on Ironhide's foot!

"No! No, Mojo!" Sam whispered. "Off the robot! Off the-!" He rushed over to rescue the little dog from Ironhide's foot, and picked him up.

Meanwhile, the 22-ft. robot readied his cannons! 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, easy! Hold on!" Sam exclaimed as he held the little dog close. "This is Mojo. This is Mojo.... P-Put the guns away! Please!"

"You have a rodent infestation." Ironhide grumbled in annoyance. "Shall I terminate?"

"Nonono, he's not a rodent!" Sam told him. "He's a chihuahua! W-We love chihuahuas! Don't we?" He looked back over at Loretta, who was still facepalming while staring at him in horror, her mouth pressed closed. 

"He's leaked lubricants all over my foot! Hmph!" Ironhide said, looking quite agitated.

"H-He peed on you?" Sam asked, then looked down at the dog. "Bad Mojo! Bad Mojo!"

"Bad Mojo!" Ironhide repeated, still aiming his cannons, but relaxing them, a bit.

Loretta covered her entire face, which was now embarrassed from what the dog had done, and the scene playing out in front of her. 

"S-Sorry, he's got a male dominance thing going. That's it." her brother apologized.

Ironhide wandered away. "Eh, that's gonna rust." he grumbled.

Sam hurried in between Optimus' legs, stumbling away when the 28-ft giant started moving. "Shh! Sh!" he whispered up to him while heading into the house.

"Just hurry." Optimus told him.

Loretta let out a deep sigh. Now that the embarrassment was over, maybe she could relax, for a bit. She quickly moved to save her bag from being crushed by Thunderblaze, and slung it over her head and shoulder. It felt a bit heavy, due to the clothes...but otherwise, she didn't mind having to lug it around.

"Autobots, recon." Optimus ordered, and everyone except the two teen girls spread out.

Loretta, after a few minutes, went over to Mikaela, feeling impatient. "Please help him find those damn glasses before everyone, here, goes into a frenzy." she told her, trying to be nice about the whole thing. Mikaela nodded, and hopped onto Optimus' hand, who had overheard the request. The girl watched Sam's friend get raised to Sam's window, which was wide-open, for some reason. 

Loretta was getting antsy...she wasn't used to waiting around, like this. Especially with a group of giant robots in her backyard!

After a minute, for some reason, the Autobots decided to transform back into their vehicle mode! Were they hiding?! 

Loretta ran her fingers through her scalp in slight panic as she looked all around her at the vehicles. _Why? Just why? This isn't hiding!_ she thought. She looked up to see her brother looking down from his window, looking perplexed. She gave him a I-give-up look while letting her hands fall to her sides. Once her brother was out of sight, again, she walked up to the front of Optimus, and put her hands on her hips.

"Really?" she whispered. "This isn't hiding! Or, a truck-stop!" Optimus said nothing. Instead, he was as still as a statue. Loretta whipped her head in Thunderblaze's direction when she heard the motorcycle let out a small snicker. "And this isn't funny, either!" 

Suddenly, Optimus lurched forward, a tad, startling the living daylights out of the girl and making her fall back onto her butt! Then, he and everyone else transformed back into their robot forms. 

Once Optimus was standing at his full height, Loretta shouted up to him in a whisper, "Was that necessary?!" His only response was him trying not to look amused. 

"Loretta!" Thunderblaze whispered, and motioned her over. "Come over here!" Feeling like she was about to lose her mind, the girl stood up and jogged over. 

Loretta then turned to look up at Sam's bedroom window. "C'mon, bro, hurry up!" she hissed in annoyance. She then facepalmed, again, when Optimus leaned against the house, stepping on her mother's plants. 

Sam came up, then, and noticed the mess. 

"Oops!" the giant robot said, regretfully, and took a step back. Loretta couldn't hear what her brother was saying from down where she stood. She could only hear Optimus' replies.

The giant started to look very impatient. "We must have the glasses." he told Sam. Her brother said something, then, causing Optimus to facepalm. "Ugh, keep searching!" He then let out a sigh as Sam seemed to stammer over his words while trying to let the giant know what he needed him to do. Optimus nodded. "Calm down, calm down."

Loretta rolled her eyes. What sort of excuses was her brother giving, and why was it taking so long for him to find the glasses.

"Your brother seems to be in as much of a hurry as we are." Thunderblaze whispered, thoughtfully.

"He's just feeling pressured and in a panic...." the girl replied with a tired sigh. "While I don't blame him, he does need to hurry up." 

"Here, get on my shoulder." the motorcycle Autobot told her. "You must be tired of standing around, by now." 

Loretta blew her bangs out of her face, then climbed up onto Thunderblaze's shoulder. She immediately held onto to the collar when the robot stood up.

"Autobots, fall back." Optimus ordered, and quickly, the robots moved to get away from the house.

Ratchet pushed Ironhide forward. "Move! Get away!" he hissed in annoyance, receiving an ugly look from his comrade. 

"What is the matter with you?" Optimus whispered, sternly. "Can’t you be quiet? He told us to be quiet!"

Loretta gasped in surprise when Thunderblaze suddenly moved to back up into a copse of trees.

"It's alright, I won't let you fall." the Autobot told her, kindly.

At that moment, Ratchet accidentally walked right into a couple strings of power lines, causing them to spark all over the place and blowing a transformer as the robot lost his footing! He finally crashed down onto the shed, causing the ground to shake like an earthquake! Meanwhile, Loretta could hear her father yelling in a panic. Thankfully, neither him or her mother came out to see what was going on.

"Ratchet!" the girl whispered, loudly. "Are you insane?!"

"Wow, that was tinglin'!" the Hummer Autobot said, dazed. "You should try that!"

"Yeah, that looks fun." Ironhide replied, sarcastically, with a smirk before walking away.

Loretta flinched when every light on her street went out. "Oh...great...." she muttered, finding herself in darkness.

Thunderblaze let out a sigh, but said nothing, due to not wanting to risk making a sound. 

The girl kept her hands on the Autobot's collar as she heard Ratchet get up, and turn on his light, which was a large beam that could bring the attention of anybody! Without thinking, she let go of Thunderblaze's collar, and waved her arms and hands, frantically.

"Ratchet! Turn the light off!" she shouted in a whisper. "Turn it off!!!" 

Upon hearing her, Ratchet turned his light off. 

Loretta shook her head, feeling very impatient, now. "Thunderblaze, please get me over to Optimus." she whispered. "I need to speak to my brother." 

"Very well." the Autobot replied, then cautiously made her way over to her taller-than-life comrade. "Optimus!" Catching his attention, Loretta quickly moved onto Thunderblaze's hand, and the motorcycle Autobot raised her up to him. "Loretta would like to speak to her brother. Put her on your shoulder." 

Loretta glanced, nervously, at Optimus' outstretched hand before taking a leap of faith, and jumped into it. Optimus then raised her to his shoulder. "Please, be careful." he told her as she climbed up. 

Optimus was about to step toward the house...when both he and Loretta heard voices. The girl immediately recognized her mother and father...why were they in Sam's room?! "Oh, parents...." Optimus informed his comrades, and quickly moved to hide. He eyed Loretta, cautiously, as she immediately grabbed onto his collar. 

"Whoa!" the giant muttered when he saw her father in the bathroom window, and instantly stepped backwards to press himself against the house, his hurried footsteps causing the ground to shake, again! 

His movements caused Loretta to squeak in fright as she slipped off of his shoulder! Luckily, she was gripping his collar, at that moment. Using her arm muscles, she tried to pull herself back onto his shoulder. Noticing her struggle, Optimus gently nudged her up, and she sat back on his shoulder with a huge sigh of relief.

Loretta breathed, heavily, waiting for her heart to calm down. "Ok...that was terrifying....!" she whispered. 

"Quick! Hide!" Optimus hissed to his comrades. Ratchet and Ironhide hid on one side of the house, Bumblebee dove under the lights above the patio, Thunderblaze quickly moved to hide on the other side of the house, Optimus tried...again...to press himself against the house, and Jazz had a hard time finding a spot, at first, but then finally hid in the living-room...as he was the smallest of the male robots. 

Loretta heard her father complain about the yard, saying how destroyed it was. He also brought up the fact that there was a blown transformer...no thanks to Ratchet.

Once her father left the bathroom window, Ironhide stepped out...and prepared his cannons! "The parents are very irritating!" he said. "Can I take them out?" Loretta looked at him as if he was crazy. Meanwhile, she could hear Ratchet agreeing with him, happily...like a child.

The girl had to grip Optimus' collar the second the giant stepped forward, an annoyed frown on his face. "Ironhide, you _know_ we don't harm humans!" he told his comrade, sternly, and in a whisper. "What is with you?!" To Loretta, he sounded like a father scolding his children....

"Well, I'm just saying, we _could_...." Ironhide replied with an innocent shrug. "It's an option." 

Loretta hung her head in defeat. "I'm surrounded by weirdos...." she muttered.

"Sam, where is your sister?" her mother asked from the house, and Loretta tensed up. "Please, tell me she came home with you." 

_Save me, Sammy!_ the girl thought in a panic, using the nickname she used to call her brother when he had first brought her home as a child. _I'm so dead...._

"Uhh...she's in bed!" Sam replied. "Yeah, she was exhausted, so she went into her room for the night."

"Thank you!" she whispered and fake-sobbed. 

"Optimus! I hear sirens!" Ratchet suddenly whispered. 

Loretta saw Optimus' jaw gears spin. "This isn't good...." he muttered. "We'll need to leave, for the time being. Hopefully, this won't take long...."

"Wait, what about Sam?" Loretta whispered as she hopped into Optimus' palm.

"The boy will be fine." Ratchet told her as his leader gently lowered her to the ground. "I can sense his bravery. We won't be far, so if he needs us, we'll be there." 

Loretta jumped off of Optimus' hand and jogged over to Thunderblaze.

"Autobots, roll out!" the 28-ft. robot ordered. Everyone split to get off the property before transforming into their vehicle forms. 

Loretta leaped onto Thunderblaze and gripped onto the handles. The Autobot quickly left the alleyway, then, and began following her comrades out of the neighborhood.

Loretta glanced back with a worried look, praying that her brother stays out of trouble with the cops.


	5. Chapter V: Ride or Die

Outside of the neighborhood, the Autobots waited in their vehicle form. Loretta sat on the ground, her back leaning against Thunderblaze as she waited to hear from her brother. She was starting to feel tired...the past few days had been really something. And, it had to be nearly midnight, by now. Usually, she didn't stay up this late....

Metal groaning from nearby startled her awake, and she looked around in confusion. "Not good." Ironhide's voice said. "The boy and the female have both been taken by those people." 

Loretta shut her eyes in disappointment. What could the cops possibly want with her brother and Mikaela? 

"Let's follow them, quickly!" Jazz exclaimed. "We need to know what they are up to!"

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus ordered, then began traveling down the road. Loretta hurried to get onto Thunderblaze as she and the others followed him.

As they reached the highway, Optimus transformed into his robot form. He stepped onto another road, his eyes focused on a line of dark vehicles heading his way. He turned on his beam of light.... Loretta felt glad that the roads were mostly empty, tonight. 

The other Autobots transformed, as well, but kept to the shadows...Loretta leaped off of Thunderblaze so that the motorcycle could transform. The girl then rushed over to Optimus, who picked her up the second he spotted her, and gently placed her onto his shoulder. From what she could tell, the giant was very unhappy.... 

She grabbed onto his collar for support and to keep from falling, and looked ahead as the line of cars drew closer. She smirked when the one up front crashed into his foot...more like, Optimus gave it a tap in order to stop it. The car spun out of control, as so did most of the other cars. Loretta cringed when she noticed that half of those vehicles held armored men with guns. She heard confused shouting, especially when an irritated giant grabbed hold of the top of the first car, and lifting it by it. All the glass shattered...and finally, once the car was somewhat high enough off the ground, the top of it completely broke off. Ok, more like, Optimus ripped it off.... The car crashed back down to the ground with a thud. Two men in the front seats looked up in horror as the robot tossed the broken piece to the side while also switching off his light.

Sam, having been in the back of the car, leaned forward with a smirk. "Ooh, you a-holes are in trouble, now!" Loretta heard him say to them. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my friend...." He and Mikaela looked up with smiles. "Optimus Prime." 

Feeling just a bit cocky, Loretta leaned forward, a bit, and smirked at the men. 

"Taking the children...was a bad move." Optimus said, angrily. He ignored the fact that a lot of the armored men were aiming their guns at him. He raised his head to look at the highway behind them. "Autobots, relieve them of their weapons."

In jumped Ironhide, who was quick to aim his cannons at the men...then Ratchet, Bumblebee, Jazz, and Thunderblaze. Jazz was the one who magnetized the weapons towards him, while the man seemingly in charge was yelling "whoa!", as the robots surrounded everybody.

Optimus gently took Loretta off of his shoulder. She hopped into Thunderblaze's outstretched hand, and then climbed up onto her shoulder. 

Optimus knelt down to the men's eye-level. his frown angry. 

The man in charge gave a nervous wave. "Hi, there." he said, his eyes wide with a mixture of confusion...and something else Loretta couldn't quite place. Both him and his partner had their hands up in defense.

"Hmm, you don't seem afraid." Optimus said. "Are you not surprised to see us?"

"Oh...well...there's uh, S-7 protocols." the man replied. "Ok? ....I'm not authorized to communicate with you except to tell you that I can't communicate with you."

_S-7? What is he talking about?_ Loretta wondered with a raised eyebrow. She shared a confused look with her guardian. 

"Get out of the car." Optimus ordered the two men. Sam and Mikaela gladly complied. 

"Who? Oh, you mean me?" the man asked, feigning ignorance. 

"Now!" the giant snapped. 

The two men reluctantly did as they were told, both of them keeping their hands up. Loretta watched as Mikaela uncuffed Sam, and the two conversed. Meanwhile, the man in charge was babbling on about the robots.

"Big guys! Big guys with big guns...." he said. 

At that moment, Sam and Mikaela walked up to him. "What is Sector-7?" the teen boy asked. When the man didn't reply, he told him, "Answer me."

"I'm the one who asks the questions, around here." the cop said with a frown. "Not you, young man!"

"How did you know about the aliens?" Mikaela asked him.

"Where did you take my parents?" Sam added.

Loretta's face darkened. _They took...Mom and Dad?_ she thought in surprise and disbelieve. _No.... No way...._ "Let me down." she told Thunderblaze. "Please...." 

Although unsure of this request, Thunderblaze reluctantly carefully set the girl down.

Once on the ground, Loretta ran up to meet her brother, who had just taken the man's badge. "Sam? He's joking, right?" she asked him, and he began gently pushing her backwards, out of the man's earshot. "Mom and Dad are at home, yes? Sam?!"

"Retta, I want you to listen to me. Ok?" he told her, his volume low so that only she could hear. "No matter what happens to Mikaela and I, I want you to stay with the Autobots...stay with Optimus and Thunderblaze."

"What?" she hissed, not believing what she was hearing. "You want me to just leave you? No! No way. Not happening. I'm going with you!"

"Retta, please!" Sam pleaded with her, his eyes serious and full of concern. "No matter what happens, stay with the Autobots." He gently gripped her shoulders. "Ok? You'll be safe with them. These people? They already took Mom and Dad away from me...for I don't even know how long. If they take you...and I lose you, too.... Just...do as I say. Please?"

Loretta was normally the brave one in the family. But for the first time since facing Barricade, she felt truly scared...mostly for her brother. She did not want to leave him. However, she didn't want to make this any harder than it already was. So, after some consideration, she finally nodded, albeit hesitantly.

Sam sighed with relief, and pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise, we will see each other, again." he told her. "But for now, I just want you safe." Loretta nodded, again...not having any words to say, at that moment.

"Sam...." Mikaela called, and Sam released his sister. Behind him, all men were cuffed to each other, and the man in charge was cuffed to a street-light. "You ready to go?"

Before Sam could answer, Loretta suddenly heard helicopters in the distance...and they sounded like they were getting closer! 

"Optimus! Incoming!" Ironhide exclaimed, having heard the helicopters as well. He then punched the road with something. Whatever it was, it went straight out toward a group of incoming cop cars!

Loretta looked at the man in charge...he was smirking! _The bastard called reinforcements!_ she thought. She glared, angrily. But, as much as she wanted to punch him, she shut her eyes, and ran right for Optimus while the rest of the Autobots quickly transformed and sped away. Thunderblaze didn't seem to mind, at all, that the girl had chosen to stay with Optimus, for the time being. 

Optimus immediately but carefully helped Loretta up onto his left shoulder, and waited until she had grabbed hold of his collar. Then, he lowered his hand for Sam and Mikaela. "Up you get." he told them, and they quickly climbed on and onto his right shoulder. Once he was sure all three teenagers were safe and secure, he took notice of an approaching chopper, and began running off. Loretta had to hang on as tight as she could...Optimus' run was bouncy, and she was terrified of falling off! 

The chopper's light flashed onto the tall-as-life robot as he ran through a part of the city, careful to not accidentally step on any moving vehicles. He ran until the helicopters lost him in their sights. He then quickly moved underneath a bridge, and hides, pressing his limbs up against the trestles. Since he was facing downwards, the teenagers were finding it difficult to stay on.

The helicopters used their lights to search for the giant robot, but so far, no luck for them.

Loretta's heart was pounding. She had seen this sort of hiding-from-cops thing on tv, before. It usually did not end well.... She gripped Optimus' shoulder, hanging on for dear life. The same went for her sibling and Mikaela, who both looked just as terrified as she felt.

The Autobot seemed to sense their nervousness, and wanted them to keep their balance on him. "Easy, you three." he told them, quietly.

A normal 13-year old kid would probably be in tears in a situation like this, hiding from the cops with his or her heart hammering, and scared for his or her life. But not Loretta...well, apart from the heart-hammering and scared for her life bit. But she was never really a crier. Sure, she was sensitive, and had her moments...but, she couldn't remember the last time she had actually cried.

The choppers came back around, flying quite close to them but never spotting them. However.... The rotor wash was powerful with the choppers being that close, and it brought the three teenagers down! Sam grabbed hold of Optimus' shoulder with one hand, while desperately holding onto Mikaela with the other...Loretta was also trying her best to keep herself from slipping any lower! She breathed, rapidly, clawing onto the robot's shoulder for dear life.... In the corner of her eye, she saw her brother lose his grip...both he and Mikaela fell, nearly getting killed by the passing choppers! 

"NO!!!" Loretta screamed in horror, letting go on reflex...but then, she caught herself, and latched onto a part of Optimus' chest.

Optimus, meanwhile, tried to catch the two by swinging a leg out. However, it only broke their fall...and they continued to descend down to the cement ground!

"SAM!!!" Loretta screamed, and lost her grip due to her fear...she let out a terrified scream! 

"I don't think so!" Optimus exclaimed in determination, and swung his other leg out to catch her. She fell onto it, and slipped down, a bit, before latching on as tight as she could. 

The girl frantically looked down and around for her brother and and his friend...and started crying tears of joy and relief when she saw that Bumblebee had caught them. They were safe and unharmed! But then, her smile faded and her heart sank when Bumblebee was suddenly captured, and Sam and Mikaela were arrested. Bumblebee wasn't fighting back...as if he could, anyway, with what the choppers had captured him with.... Loretta watched, heart-broken, as her brother was shoved into a vehicle, and taken away. The same went for Bumblebee.... The girl looked away as a few tears managed to escape. She hated the feeling of being defeated, and she wished she could've done something to help. She listened as the choppers and sirens faded from view and earshot....

She looked to see Optimus' offering palm for her. With her heart heavy, she climbed on...and he set her down somewhere close and on a part that held the bridge up. She brought her knees close to her chest, and buried her face into them. 

"I am deeply sorry...Loretta Evemor." Optimus told her, softly. "Believe me, I know exactly how you feel.... But have no fear. You will see your brother, again." 

Loretta lifted her head. "I hope so...." she whispered, and a gentle breeze blew by, blowing her hair to the side.

After a few minutes, the familiar sound of a rescue Hummer beeped as the rest of the Autobots arrived. A second later, the Autobots could be heard transforming. "Hang back." Jazz said from on top of the bridge. "I'll check it out." Loretta looked up to see the Autobot jumping down and landing underneath the bridge. "Optimus.... Are we just going to stand here and do nothing?" he asked his leader.

Unhappily, Optimus began to climb down from his perch. "There's no way to free Bumblebee without harming the humans." he replied, gravely. 

"But it's not right!" Jazz argued.

"Let them leave." Optimus told him. 

Loretta sighed, sadly. _Optimus has a point...._ she thought. _Still...if only there was some way to free Bumblebee, Mikaela, and my brother, too. Are us humans seriously the only species capable of doing that sort of thing? No, that can't be it.... I wish I could think straight.... So much has happened in just a few days! Tonight has to be the biggest and craziest thing that's ever happened._ She frowned, and clenched her fists, angrily. _Those jerks are wrong to take Sam and my parents away! Just what are those cops thinking?! Sam never did anything against the law, and neither has Mom and Dad! So what the fuck?!_

"Optimus!" Thunderblaze's voice exclaimed from on top of the bridge, sounding worried. "Where is Loretta? Is she safe?!" 

The giant Autobot looked up at his comrade. "Calm down, Thunderblaze!" he told her. "She is perfectly safe."

"See, Thunder? I told you Optimus wouldn't let any harm come to her!" Jazz called up to her.

"Well...yes, I know...but still...." the motorcycle Autobot replied. "I'm supposed to be her guardian!" Never, in Loretta's whole life, would the girl ever think how much an alien would care for her.... It brought tears to her eyes, again, but this time, she tried to fight them.

"And you are!" Ratchet's voice told Thunderblaze. "Please, have a little more faith in our leader than that." 

Thunderblaze sighed.

Jazz offered his palm for the girl. "Come on. It's safe to come out, now." he told her, a sympathetic look on his face.

Loretta let out a tired sigh, and got on his hand. She held on for dear life, once more, as the Autobot took her up to the top of the bridge. She was suddenly exhausted, feeling like all of her energy was drained.

"Oh, you poor thing...." Thunderblaze said as she gently took the girl out of Jazz's hand. Loretta let her body and head rest on the motorcycle's hands. "She's exhausted...." 

Through half-closed eyes, Loretta saw Ratchet come forward. "Here...." he said, and transformed into his Hummer form, then he opened his door. "It might not be the most comfortable...but, it's someplace for her to rest until morning." 

The tired girl sat up as Thunderblaze set her down near Ratchet. Rubbing her eyes, Loretta climbed in, and settled down in the back. Her eyes fluttered closed as her body and mind relaxed on the back seat. "Thank you...Ratchet." she whispered.

The last thing she heard was a soft beep from the medical officer's siren.


End file.
